Safety device for diamond-drill rod couplings.



v. SODERSTROM. SAFETY DEVICE POR DIAMOND DRILL ROD GOUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED IER 15,119114 w n f 0., l A/ 4l. /0//1/1//1 w1/i1., l1./ I l Il v Cv 3 A /4 2./ v/7, l,

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FFICE.

VICTOR'SODERSTROM, OF VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA.

SAFETY DEVICE OR DIAMOND-DRILL-ROD COUPLINGS.

vSpecication of Letters Patent.

Application led February 15, 1911. Serial No. 608,736.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Vio'roir SoDnnsTnoM, of Virginia, St. Louis county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Diamond- Drill-Rod Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

In the operation of diamond drilling it frequently happens that holes are drilled from twelve to fifteen hundred feet in depth, the drill passing through various strata in its descent, the drill rod being composed of hollow separable sections which are added on as the depth of the hole increases. These rod sections are generally .about ten feet in length and are interiorly threaded at each end and a coupling is provided between the abutting ends of the contiguous sections to hold them together. Oftentimes in the drilling operation a coupling breaks. It is then necessary to remove the upper portion of the rod and contrive by some means to get hold of the lower portion and remove it and the drill from the hole; otherwise the diamond drill will be lost and it will be necessary to sink a new hole, unless the hole in which the drill is lost has been carried to the required depth. The walls of the hole atintervals, owing to the soft character of a stratum through which it maybe drilled and the washing of the water, are frequently loosened and displaced tosuch an extent that a large cavity is formed and if the breakage of the coupling occurs in this cavity it is almost impossible to pick'u'p the lower portion.

of the rod, as it will frequently tip over to one side out of line with the hole. The loss of a portion of a rod, particularly in a deep hole, involves considerable expense and obT viously a contractor will not allow a diamond drill to be left in a hole without eX- liausting every eort to recover it.

The primary object, therefore, of my invention is to provide means which, when a coupling breaks, will allow the separated sections to be withdrawn immediately from the hole, .thereby saving the drill and the lower sections without loss of time and,

labor.

My invention consists generally in a bolt fitting within the coupling-v and bridging the joint between the drill lmod sectio`ns, and having means at each end wll'ch will serve to hold the broken, separated sections to.

gether. i

Further. the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. y

In the accompanying drawings'forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a View of a portion of a hollow drill rod, partially in section, illustrating my. invention applied to the coupling, Fig. -2 illustrates the device at work, the walls of the hole being washed away, as shown at one point, forming a cavity considerably larger than the diameter of the hole, Fig. 3 illustrates the device -in operation when the breakage occurs in the coupling.

In the drawin 2 -and 3 represent contiguous sections o a hollow drill rod. These sections are) internally threaded at 4.

5 is a coupling having nipples 6 and 7 formedthereon that are adapted'to engage the threads in the ends of the sections 2 and 3, thereby securing them together. The coupling has a passage 8 therethrough communicating with the passage through the rods 2 and 3'to allow water under pressure to flow down through the rods to the drill to'prevent it from heating and to wash away the material cut by the drill, the hole being of suicient size, as indicated in Fig. 2, to allow the washings and the waterto ascend outside of the pipe and escape at the top of the hole. The rods frequently break, vusually at the point indicated in Fig. 3, and tc-.hold these broken sections together I provide a bolt 9 having a head 10at its lower vend, the shank of the bolt 9 passing through the hole 8 and the head 10. contacting withk Patented J an. 30,1912.

tion indicated in Fig. 1,.the head 10, dropping away from the coupling and allowing the water to flow freely therethrough. The upper end of the bolt projects above the coupling and is threaded to receive an interiorly threaded sleeve 12 which has lugs 13 to rest upon the upper end of the coupling. These lugs prevent the sleeve from closing the passage through the coupling when the drill is in use. The sleeve is also provided with external threads 14 so that in case of breakage of a rod above or below a coupling, a rod having an internally threaded head thereon may be lowered in the hole until Vand the head engages the threads et the sleeve 12 and then by revolving the head it will make a threaded connection with the sleeve 12 and when this is done the lower portion of the drill rodean be removed from the hole'. li prefer to provide notches 15 in the upper end of the coupling to receive the lugs 13 and prevent the bolt from turning in the o eration of connecting the threaded head` o the lifting rod to the threaded sleeve 12. 't

The device may be made in various sizes and oi any suitable material.

The yoperation will.l be substantially the same re ardless of the diameter of the drill rod or t e size of the drill or the coupling.

In various ways the details of construction may be modified and still be within the scope of my invention.

l claim as my invention s 1. rlhe combination, with hollow drill rod sections having threaded ends, of a coupling havin nipples threaded. to engage said ends aio having a longitudinal passage coinmunicating with the passage through said rods, and means within said coupling passage 'and normally inactive, but becoming operative to hold said sections together in case ot breakage of said coupling.

2. The comblnation, with hollow drill rod sections, of a hollow coupling uniting them, a bolt passing through said coupling and having a head at one end engaging said cou ling and means for connection with a lifting rod at the other end of said coupling,

said bolt being normally inactive but becoming o eratlve upon breakage of said coupling or holding said rod sections together.

3. The combination, with hollow drill rod sections, of a hollow cou ling uniting their abutting ends, a bolt tting within said coupling and having a head at one end, an exteriorly threaded sleeve at the other end of said bolt arranged tocontact with said cou ling, said bolt being normally inactive an said sleeve and head permitting the .water to pass freelythrough said coupling, said bolt becoming operative automatically upon breakageof said coupling for holding said sections together.

Ll.' The combination, with hollow drill rod sections, of a notched coupling uniting said sections and having a passage therethrough, a bolt fitting within said passage and having means at one end engaging said coupling, an exteriorly threaded sleeve at the opposite end of said bolt having lugs to enter the notches in said coupling., said bolt holding said rod sections together in case of breakage of said coupling, and said exteriorly threaded sleeve allowing the application of a tool thereto to lift the lower section in case of breakage above or below a coupling.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of February 1911.

' VICTOR SDERSTRM.

Witnesses:

Davao l-lnnnm, K. d. F. Kamen. 

